Epa Sues Sherwin-williams Paint Factory Over Pollution

A Southeast Side paint factory and two other Illinois plants were among 24 companies sued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, accused of polluting the air, land and water.

Sherwin-Williams Co. could face millions of dollars in fines and cleanup costs to make its 123-acre Chicago plant at 11541 S. Champlain Ave. comply with four major environmental laws, said Carol Browner, EPA administrator, at a news conference in Chicago.

Among the 39 allegations in the federal lawsuit, the EPA accused the company of unsafely storing solvents in open containers and tanks, failing to test some paint wastes to determine if they were hazardous, emitting volatile chemicals into the air and discharging excessive amounts of toxic wastewater to the sewer system.

"Over the years, the people of southeast Chicago have been surrounded by industrial activity," Browner said. "They have suffered from the results of industrial pollution. Today's action against Sherwin-Williams isn't going to solve all the problems, but it's a step in the right direction."

The Sherwin-Williams case was the most serious of the suits announced, said Gail Ginsberg, regional counsel in the EPA's Chicago office.

During a meeting with the Tribune's editorial board, Browner said Sherwin-Williams "operated outside the law. We still continue to have companies that think environmental laws don't apply to them, and that's totally unacceptable."

But Conway Ivy, the paint company's vice president for corporate planning, said the Chicago plant, which has made paint since the 1880s, complied with environmental regulations.

"We would never have any intent to operate this company outside the law," Ivy said. "This company has been in business for 127 years. We're committed to operating our business on a very honest and ethical basis."

Also accused of violating environmental standards was Electronic Support Systems, a West Chicago maker of printed circuit boards for electronic equipment. The company, which could face a $626,000 penalty, allegedly improperly stored hazardous waste at the plant.

Robert Duke, company vice president, said he believed the lawsuit stemmed from a series of "misunderstandings" with the Illinois EPA over waste-handling.

The third Illinois plant is an explosives factory in Downstate Wolf Lake operated by the Ensign-Bickford Co. and the Trojan Corp. The EPA charged that hazardous waste was stored without adequate protective measures. A company spokesman could not be reached for comment.